L
Demon acm.
INK SLINGS.
——Out in Indiana recently they
put an editor in jail for criticising a
judge. Now they are preparing to try
the judge before the State Senate.
‘ ——The Senate Committee on For-
eign Relations is not willing to trust
jts chairman, Senator Borah, with a
roving commission during the recess.
——Governor Pinchot pays Gov-
ernor Fisher the compliment of ap-
proving his ballot reform programme
in part. As a matter of fact that is
about all that could be done.
——War widows who fail to get
pensions may charge it up to Dave
Reed. As Senator he was more con-
cerned to save Vare’s tainted title
than to secure just claims of war wid-
OWS.
&
Now that the Democratic wo-
men of Pennsylvania have set them-
selves to the task of curing the politi-
cal ills of the State, we look for a ma-
terial improvement in the election re-
turns.
—Japan has had another terrible
earthquake. Thousands of lives have
been lost and much property destroy-
ed. Nippon is getting so shaky that
iife there must be a constantly haunt-
ing fear of the next quake.
—We are among those who are op-
posed to a three cent tax on
gasoline. Not so much because of the
proposed jump of a cent a gallon as
because as soon as they get the three
cent levy made they will begin to con-
jure up reasons for raising it to four.
— There are two residents in Wash-
ington who will be interested to know
that former Judge Dale has some
political fat in the fire again and
there are ‘a lot of people in Centre
county who are wondering whether
they will come up to help him puil it
out.
—The brewery workers union of
‘Scranton is threatening to call its
men out on strike unless they are
given a raise in wages. We had no
idea that there was enough of the
‘half-of-one-per cent. stuff libated to
make work for enough workers to
form a union.
‘ The approaching marriage of
United States Senator Dill, of Wash-
ington, to Miss Rosalie Jones, of New
York, it is said will be the out growth
of their mutual interest in radicalism.
Miss Jones is a confirmed Socialist.
She also recently inherited five mil-
lion dollars. That, of course, the Sen-
ator never thought of when he was
picking a bride.
—Most of the news that comes out
.of Harrisburg these days is announce-
ment of the creation of another de-
partment of the State _government
and the appointment of a high sala-
ried Secretary to head it. Governor
Pinchot’s budget might have gotten
the State out of debt, but his pro-
gram for the reconstruction of its
government bids fair to run it back
in again.
—The Hon. Holmes has introduced
a bill in the Legislature that would
permit the presentation of a libel in
«divorce at any time, whether the court
is in session or not. Maybe he’s cast-
ing an anchor to the windward. He
‘might want to get divorced from the
judicial fight that looms in his home
county and is fixin’ things so he can
duck to the storm cellar on a mo-
ments’ notice.
—1It is estimated that two thousand
miles of bar fixtures, over which
“suds” and hard liquors passed in the
old days, are now in use as lunch
counters in this country. Polished
glasses ar: no longer shot over the
mahogany tops by white coated mix-
.ologists, there is nothing to drown the
sorrows of the disconsolate and make
the hearts of the hopeful effervescent
in song. The headaches of the morn-
ing after are gone and the lunch coun-
ter state of civilization has brought
dyspepsia in their stead.
—Commenting on the election ve-
form bills now befere the Legislature
former Governor = Pinchot is of the
opinion’ that in some respects their
passage would make ‘matters. worse.
The proposal to permit a. candidate:to
spend ten cents per ‘ voter, with the
provision that he can join a group or
slate of candidates, would make it pos-
sible for four candidates on a State
ticket to spend $520,000, if they could
raise it. This being the fact it is
apparent that Governor Fisher's bill to
limit campaign expenses isn’t designed
to limit them very much.
—With population steadily increas-
ing and the average span of life
lengthening it is natural that there
should be an increase in the number
of indigent and dependent persons. It
seems, however, that the increase is
out of all proportion to reasonable ex-
pectations from such causes and that
some other reason must be found for
it. Our opinion is that it is due to the
life we are leading. Men and women
are breaking everywhere under the
strain of modern business and social
“activities. The eternal scramble for
dollars is making physical and mental
derelicts of strong men and women
and the same struggle is making mor-
al derelicts of their weaker brothers
and ' sisters. Pep meetings, highly
specialized business methods, intensive
salesmanship, ever increasing frater-
nal, business and social membership
obligations, night clubs, salacious
books and plays all, in their own way,
are taking terrible toll from the hu-
man family.
has long been & devoted friend and
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
VOL. 72.
The Political Pot is Boiling Over. |
What had looked like an unusual
contest for county offices next fall be-
cause of the large number of aspir-
ants for nomination, especially on the
Republican ticket, has taken on an
extraordinary aspect because of un-
expected necessity of electing a Presi-
dent Judge of our courts.
The death of Judge Keller has
thrown many of the Republican candi-
dates into a near panic. They are
fearful that with a judicial contest
also on their aspirations will be lost
sight of. It has also had the effect |
of starting a lot of others to think-
ing that they should jump in and
make a try for nomination for several
of the offices for which there is only
one candidate in the field.
The scramble for the court house |
offices has been of little interest dur-
ing the past week, however, when
compared with the rumors that are
afloat concerning the fight that is to
be staged for the Judgeship. On
every corner little groups are seen
and its a safe guess that the topic of
conversation is judicial politics in
nearly every one of them.
On the Republican side there are
already three avowed candidates in the
field. Former district attorney James
C. Furst advised us that he is an ap-
plicant for appointment by the Gov-
ernor for the short term caused by the
death of Judge Keller as well as a
candidate for nomination for the reg-
ular term. M. Ward Fleming, Esq.
of Philipsburg, has already announced
his candidacy in the papers. We are
not advised as to whether he is an ap-
plicant for appointment by the Gov-
ernor. Former Judge Dale advised
us, on Monday, that he is a candidate
and will run in the primary on the
Republican ticket only.
This three cornered fight gives
promise of developing into one of
considerable interest. It is generally
believed that Mr. Furst will be ap-
pointed by Governor Fisher, If this |
should prove a reality it would be
evidence that he has Secretary Dor-
worth’s support and that the adminis-
tration at Harrisburg would be back
of him in the primary. Mr. Fleming
political ally of Sen. Scott and what
would be more natural than for the
Senator to throw his support back of
the Fleming candidacy. Such a re-
sult could conceivably : precipitate a
show down between the forces of Sec-
retary Dorworth and Sen. Scott as to
who is the real leader in Centre coun-
ty and then there would be a real
fight, with barrels of money thrown
into it. The candidacy of former
Judge Dale on the Republican ticket,
only, might become more formidable
than some think in this three-corner-
ed contest. In the 1925 primary, when
he ran against Judge Keller on the
Republican ticket, he fell only fifty
votes short of polling one-third of all
the Republican votes cast and there
are certain conditions that might arise
that. would give the Dale colors more
followers in a contest with Messrs.
Fleming and Furst than it could at-
jag in that with the late Judge Kel-
er.
The only other person we have heard
talked of as a possible Republican as-
pirant is John Love Esq. We called
on him to ascertain his feelings and
he replied “when you see my name
written or printed anywhere as a
candidate strike it off.” He admitted,
however, that there are certain con-
tingencies under which he might enter
the contest, but they. are too remote
to cause him to give the matter any
serious thought.
On the Democratic’ side we have
been- able to find: only one avowed
candidate. He is W. D. Zerby Esq.
and he assured us ‘that he is in the
race in earnest.
J. Kennedy Johnston Esq. was non-
commital when asked if he would run.
Our reaction to a pleasant little chat
with him was that he doesn’t view the
prospect pleasantly and will withhold
his decision until a later time.
Samuel D. Gettig Esq. said that he
is “not a candidate at this time.” We
infer from further conversation we
had. with him that he is holding the
matter under advisement.
W. Harrison Walker Esq. is anoth-
er who had not made up his mind at
the time we called on him. Our im-
pression of his attitude was that he
prefers to get the advice of his friends
before making a definite decision, one
way or the other.
Having been unable to see N. B.
Spangler Esq. we have to resort to
rumor as to his intentions. They are
to the effect that he has Stated to
friends that he will not enter the race.
William Groh Runkle Esq. said that
he hadn’t given much thought to the
matter and was not ready to say what
he might do later.
——An esteemed contemporary,
speaking of ‘Congress, says “there
have been worse sessions.” Possibly,
but we don’t call them to mind.
Reed’s Labor Wasted.
It would be hard to imagine what
absurd impulses influenced Senator
Dave Reed, of Pittsburgh, to organize
and maintain the filibuster that de-
feated a lot of important legislation
at the close of the Sixty-ninth Con-
gress, There was nothing to gain
by the enterprise. It probably
strengthened the personal friendship
between Vare and Reed, which may be
a political asset in the next Senator-
ial campaign. But measuring this
advantage at its highest value it will
hardly recompense for the harm donc
in defeating the women’s pension bill,
the deficiency bill, bonus payments to
veterans and a number of other mea-
sures affecting the comforts and in
some instances the lives of citizens.
The plain object of the filibuster
was to prevent the opening of the
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh ballot
boxes now in possession of the Slush
Fund committee of the Senate and
the certain exposure of the fraud per-
petrated last November to secure the
election of William S. Vare. But the
purpose was defeated when the ob-
jection to opening the boxes ‘was
made. It was in itself a confession
that the election was fraudulent, and
to the average clean mind it doesn’t
matter how extensive the frauds run.
The only wise thing done by Vare in
connection with the matter was in
promptly consenting to the impound-
ing of the boxes. It conveyed the
idea that Vare was confident of the
integrity of his vote and willing “to
go to the mat to prove it.”
The futility of the filibuster is re-
vealed in another way. As indicated,
the purpose was to prevent the open-
ing of the ballot boxes in custody of
the Senate committee, and notwith-
standing’ the fact that it prevented
a vote on the motion of Senator Reed,
of Missouri, the boxes will be opened
and the frauds exposed. The Pitts-
burgh Senator has succeeded in fast-
ening upon the entire Republican par-
ty of Pennsylvania the odium of 8
condition which might have been
shifted onto the shoulders of a few
like Vare, Harry Mackey and Tom
‘Cunningham. But that is no longer |
possible, The stupidity of Dave Reed
has involved the party oragnization,
including those associated with the
President.
—————p——————
The county auditors completed
their “work of ‘auditing the various
county accounts, placed their state-
ment in the hands of the printers and
left for their respective homes on
Wednesday.
Another Prod at Beidleman,
If there has been left even a faint
shadow of hope of reconciling the dif-
ferences between the Mellon organiza-
tion and the Beidleman-Baker faction,
it melted away when the Hon.
3
BELLEFONTE, PA.. MARCH 11. 1927.
Governor Fisher Yields to the Ma-
chine.
Governor Fisher revealed his com-
plete servility to the worst elements
of the Republican machine in issuing a
supplemental certificate of the election
i of William S. Vare to the office of
{ Senator in Congress. In apologizing
i for the act Governor Fisher says “I
{ have acted under the requirements of
{ the Act of Assembly of 1913.” As a
| matter of fact the Act of Assembly of
{1918 required nothing of Governor
‘Fisher on the subject. It required his
predecessor in office,
chot, who fulfilled that obligation in a
manner that seemed fit to him. The
law prescribes no form and leaves to |
the Governor the right to exercise his
town judgment as to the language em-
ployed.
The Act of 1913 provides that “the
vote for candidates for the office of
United States Senator shall be count-
ed, certified, computed and returned,
as is now or may hereafter be provid-
ed by law with respect to other offices
filled by a vote of the electors of the
State at large. Provided, however,
that the returns of the election of
United States Senator shall be made
to the Secretary of the Commonwealth,
who shall immediately tabulate and
compute the same, and, upon the con-
clusion of said count, eertify the re-
sult thereof to the Governor who shail
immediately issue a certificate of elec-
tion, under the seal of the Common-
wealth, duly signed by himself and
, attested by the Secretary of the Com-
monwealth, and deliver the same to
the candidate receiving the highest
number of votes.”
Thus it appears that there was no
official reason for the Governor’s act.
It was simply a piece of rather shabby
politics.. He hoped to confuse the con-
ditions in Washington and possibly
secure the temporary admission of
William S. Vare to the floor. - Before
the primary election last May Mr.
: Fisher publicly declared that Vare’s
expectation of election was predicated
on a beer mug. Now under the spur
of the machine leaders he is willing to
resort to any expedient to legalize the
Fr Th “resulted in his apparent
election. His efforts will fail, however.
The count of the votes contained in
the. ballot boxes now in possession of
i was defeated.
——Senator Dave Reed may imag-
ine that those Philadelphia and Pitts-
burgh ballot boxes were taken to
Washington for use as committee
{ room ornaments. Senator Jim Reed
will remove this impression from his
mind.
Hopeful Woman’s Organization.
The organization of the Pennsylva-
‘ nia Federation of Democratic Women,
| completed at Reading last week,
Governor Pin-
the Slush Fund committee will show he |
Ballot Reform in Doubt,
The information which comes from
Harrisburg, through the medium of
i the newspapers, is not encouraging to
the hope for ballot reform legislation.
A sub-committee of the Senate Com-
mittee on Elections held a session, on
Monday night, but arrived at no defi-
nite conlusions. It seemed apparent
that the administration forces in the
Legislature will be inclined to favor
the four bills sponsored by the Gov-
ernor and let it go at that. Outside
of the measure making the opening
of ballot boxes compulsory there is
: little merit in this group. Yet taken
together with certain other bills even
these bills might be made to serve a
! good purpose in the case of ballot re-
| form.
An encouraging sign revealed at
| the committee meeting was that Gov-
iernor Pinchot’s letter to Governor
| Fisher, on Sunday, made a strong im-
pression on the minds of the commit-
i tee members. It was an argument
| against one of the Governor's election
i bills, In limiting expenditures at pri-
| mary elections Mr. Fisher proposed
| that groups of candidates might pool
their funds and multiply the total al-
‘lowed to be spent by the number of
| persons in the group. Mr. Pinchot
pointed. out with great clearness. that
under such an arrangement even
greater excesses than marked the last
Republican primary might be legal-
ized. The members of the committee
: freely expressed an abhorrence of stich
a situation. et
There is a good deal of sentiment
for genuine ballot reform legislation
in the General Assembly this year,
and unless it is stifled some good may
come of it. But the stifling process is
in motion. One of the correspondents
at the scene of the meeting wrote,
“there was also some intimation that
i th absence of W. L. Mellon, chairman
‘of the State Republican committee,
had something to do with the delay-
ied action on all the bills, Mr, Mel-
lon, now in Florida, received an S. O.
amending the expenditures limitation
bill and the other if he deemed it nee-
essary.” Mr, Mellon is about as am
ious for ballot reform as Tom
ningham or Max Leslie.
un-
The weather of the past week
has been real spring-like, pleasant
days, cool nights and frosty mornings,
with no snow or blizzards in sight at
present writing. But the onion snow
and the saplin’ bender are still due.
New Judge Will Have Big Job Ahead
of Him.
| Whoever is appointed Judge of Cen-
| tre county for the remainder of 1927,
j as successor to the late Judge Harry
: Keller, will have a big job ahead of
him. On the list are between fifteen
. and twenty cases which had been tried
Michael E. Stroup was sworn in as marks an auspicious beginning of a before Judge Keller and in which ap-
Deputy Attorney General.
Stroup : systematized effort to restore the | plications for new trials are pending.
represents the head and front of the Democratic organization of the State i Some of these cases have already been
local opposition to the “Hill Gang.” [to its former force and vigor. It must, 2r8ued but no decision yet handed
For many years he has been the
willing leader of every movement to
oppose the plans of Beidleman and
Baker and has shown such capacity in
organization and manipulation as to
make him a dangerous foe. He is an
able lawyer with a wide experience in
politics. He served two terms in the
Legislature and was twice elected Dis-
trict Attorney of Dauphin county.
In the famous primary campaign of
1922 Mr. Stroup directed the efforts
of . the .friends of Pinchot :and subse-
quent: ry managed the campdign of that
candidate, in Dauphin county, at the
general election. ‘It was expected that
Gifford would promptly recognize the
merits of his work by calling him into.
some important office.
pectation was disappointed for one
reason or another. The Governor
praised him generously but left him
“outside the breastworks.” When the
primary campaign for 1924 was or-
ganized no one was greatly surprised
to find Mr. Stroup working in opposi-
tion to Pinchot and managing the
campaign of Pepper and Fisher with
such success that Fisher received 7000
votes against Beidleman.
It is understood that Mr. Stroup
will be assigned to the State Securi-
ties Bureau and will manage all the
cases of the Bureau coming before the
Dauphin county court. This will be a
pleasant work for him as he has spent
all his professional life in the Dauphin
county courts. He was admitted to the
bar in 1898, was appeinted Assistant
District Attorney after serving two
terms in the Legislature, and served
in that capacity until 1912 when he
was elected District Attorney and re-
elected four years later. At the ex-
piration of his second term in the
office he seemed to withdraw from
public life, but not from political ac-
tivity. He always had a harpoon
ready to throw into the Beidleman ma-
chine.
: —Subseribe for the Watchman.
But this ex-!
be admitted that heretofore the Demo-
cratic women of this State have been
| delinquent. There have been a few
notable exceptions andthose women
who have given time, energy and ma-
terial help to the cause deserve the
highest honors. But as a rule Demo-
cratic women inclined to participate in
political activities have chosen non-
partisan agencies of expression. The
organization of the Pennsylvania Fed-
eration of Democratic Woman indi-
cates a wise change.
+ Since the adoption of the Nine-
teenth amendment to the Federal con-
stitution the Republican women of the
State have been active and efficient
. party workers. It was believed by
many reasoning persons that the en-
franchisement of the women would
reduce the Republican vote on the
ground that women would not approve
. the vicious methods of the Republican
i machine. This expectation has not
been fulfilled, however. On the con-
trary the Republican majority increas-
ed in the ratio of activity of the
women. In other words the Republi-
can women “swallowed” all the ini-
quities that have made the Republican
machine of Pennsylvania notorious
throughout the country.
This new organization of Demo-
cratic women is State-wide in its
activities. It is the result of a three-
day convention, largely attended, held
in the City of Reading. An executive
board, the membership of which was
distributed over the State so that
each section would be represented and
Mrs. Margaret Jerry, of Easton, was
chosen for President. She has had
wide experience in the work having
been Vice President of the Northamp-
ton county Democratic committee. A
number of Vice Presidents were
chosen and though Tentre county is
not represented in the initial organi-
zation we fondly hope her Democratic
women will affiliate with it in the
near future and take a share in its
good work.
, down. In such cases they will have
| to be reargued before the new Judge,
i and it will also be necessary for him
[to read and digest all the evidence
presented at the trial. This he will
have to do in all cases which have not
yet been argued, and among them are
;one or two in which the testimony is
‘unusually voluminous. As the ap-
! pointment will be good only until the
i first Monday in January next the
man who picks the plum will get a
lemon of a job handed to him.
A ———— ps ————————
The four Olney bank bandits
who paid the supreme penalty at
Rockview on Monday kept up the
pretense of indifference to the end but
fooled nobody.
—————— erent
Worth Township and Port Matilda Tax
Payers to Meet.
Under the auspices of the parent-
teachers association of Port Matilda
all the tax payers of Worth township
and the new borough of Port Matilda
have been invited to meet in the Pres-
byterian church at Port on Monday
evening, March 21. :
The purpose of the meeting is to pro-
vide an open forum at which all tax-
payers of the two districts can freely
discuss the merits of the proposal to
create a bonded indebtedness for
school purposes. The election to de-
cide the issue will be held the next day
so that this meeting is very timely.
Questions pro and con may be asked
and will be answered so that the tax-
payers may be better informed as to
just what they will be voting on when
they go to the polls next day.
emm————— ee mtr.
——The French army will be com-
posed of men and women alike, ac-
cording to a new plan of the Cham-
ber of Deputies. That will put a new
face on war, ; :
eer —— At ———
——The Watchman publishes news
when it is news. Read it.
SPAWLS FROM
S. from the subcommittee to assist it in
“and fi turn to agent, tran
THE KEYSTONE.
—The body of Miss Rose Schirz, ‘aged
26, who disappeared from her home in
Nicktown, a suburb of Johnstown, on Feb-
ruary 25, was discovered on Sunday buried
under a snowdrift near her home which
had partly melted away. No marks of
violence were found.
—The * Rev. F. H. Daubenspeck, of
Aaronsburg, who recently accepted a ecall
from the First Lutheran church of Chicora,
entered upon his duties as pastor on Sun-
day. He succeeds the Rev. H. H. Flick,
who became pastor of the Lutheran church
in Homestead recently.
—Taxpayers of Clinton county are eir-
culating a petition for the replacement of
the old covered bridge over the Bald Eagle
creek, one mile west of Mill Hall, as the
‘present structure seems unsafe and the
approach is dangerous in view of the
amount of traffic at that point.
—Elmer Green, of Philadelphia, is puz-
zling over the question: “What constitutes
a holdup?” Three men stopped him on
Richmond street, last Friday night, held
his wrists fast, and relieved him of $20.
Detectives told him he was not “held up’
but merely “detained” and subjected to a
form of larceny. There was no gun used,
detectives explained.
—Emil Larsen, late of Denmark, recently
landed in Philadelphia to get a job tam-
ing lions in a circus. There were no avail-
able lions, so soon Emil found himself with
little money and no job. He needed a suit
of clothes, too. So he walked into a store
on Bainbridge street, tried on a suit, and
after getting a geod fit, shoved a revolver
in the clerk’s face and ran out wearing the
suit. He was arrested.
—With only $40 left of her $800 in sav-
ings, Mrs. Katrina Trinka, aged 50, of Pen-
owa, Washington county, Pa., who told
police she deserted her husband and three
children for another man, was stranded in
Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday when the man
deserted her and took $760 with him, she
said. Mrs. Trinka declared she left her
husband because he made her provide for
him and their three children. .
—A. 8. Banmiller, assistant treasurer of
the Commonwealth Trust company, Harris-
burg, was arrested on Monday night
charged with defaulting in the sum of
$200,000 of the bank’s funds. First reports
were that $100,000 of the defalcations had
been recovered, but details of the case
were withheld, W. M. Ogelsby, president
of the bank, said the institution would not
be affected by the loss, being fully covered
by insurance.
—Bobbed hair remains under the ban at
the Bloomsburg hospital, because long hair
is- kept neater than shorn locks and adds
dignity to the student nurses, Miss Marion
E. Smith; the superintendent asserts. Miss
Smith said the ban was general, but was
being lifted in some hospitals, When it
might be lifted there she did not know.
Student nurses with bobbed hair either
wear ‘switches or nets to keep it down
until it’ grows out. :
—James N. Hoffman has just been re-
tired: by the Sunbury division of the Penn-
sylvania railroad, after forty-eight years
of service, at Lewistown. Mr. Hoffman be-
gan his railroad career as a messenger
boy at the scale office, February 2, 1879.
He was promoted te clerk two years later-
ispatcher and.
vard master. One of the unique features of
his service was the fact that his entire for-
ty-eight years was spent in the one office
at the Lewistown passenger station.
—Hugh Cochran, aged 40, was instantly
killed in an explosion at the filter house
of the American Oil Works at Titusville
at 6:15 o'clock Sunday morning. Cochran
was descending a wooden ladder inside the
filter tank to get a splasher plate that had
been left in the fuller's earth when it
broke, throwing him against the side of
the tank. The electric light bulb he was
carrying then smashed and caused the ex-
plosion from gas that had accumulated
from benzine used in washing the fuller’s
earth.
—The Young building, a. three-story
brick structure on Allegheny street, Jersey
Shore, in the heart of the business dis
trict, was destroyed by fire, which broke
out at 3:30 o'clock Friday morning. Three
stores were wiped out and the occupants
of five apartments on the upper floors were
driven to the street in their night gar-
ments. The loss on the building is $35,-
000 with $25,000 insurance. A loss of $30,-
000 additional, partially covered by insur-
ance, was sustained by the proprietors of
three stores and occupants of the apart-
ments.
—The Armour and Company tannery
at Big Run, fifteen miles southwest of
‘DuBois, was almost totally destroyed by
fire early Monday evening, entailing a loss
estimated at three hundred thousand dol-
lars. Fire companies summoned from
Punxsutawney and Reynoldsville helped to
save adjoining property from the flames.
The cause of the fire has not been deter-
mined. It broke out shortly before five
o'clock and, spreading rapidly, destroyed
all the tannery buildings but the engine
room. The plant had resumed operations
only two weeks ago after an idleness of
five years.
—George Probert, 68, of Farmer's Val-
ley, superintendent of the McKean County
Refining company plant, was ‘instantly
killed at Bradford, last Friday morning
after assisting an employe who was over-
come by gas fumes from a tank car. Pro-
bert helped Archie Brooder from the cat
and was starting to climb out himself
when an explosion of undetermined cause
occurred which blew him out of the man-
hole and hurled him fifty feet, He suffered
bad burns over his entire body and both
legs were fractured below the knees. Three
other men nearby were burned, two only
slightly, but Otto Baker, of Smethport, re-
quired. the attention of a physician.
—Sentences of from 10 to 20 years in the
western penitentiary were imposed on
Monday upon Frank K. Hockman and
Samuel C. Earl, both of New Castle, who
were convicted Saturday of complicity in
the attempted robbery of the Clarion
County National bank of Knox. The rob-
bery was frustrated when state police
learned of the plot. Council for both men
said an appeal would be taken to the State
Superior court. The sentences were im-
posed by Judge Frank L. Harvey. Hock-
man’s term was directed to run concur-
rently with a sentence against him in
Allegheny county. William J. Matteson,
also of New Castle, the third man tried in
the case, was acquitted on his ‘wife's testi-
money that she refused to allow him’ to
go to Knox on the day of the attempted
holdup.